Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers have talked about using what they believe is increased depth, and people wonder if that means perhaps even expanding the normal 9-10 man rotation into 10-11, or even up to 12 guys?
There are certainly examples of teams pushing those boundaries in an effort to play at a higher level of intensity.
Of course, the only way for the Lakers to get to that number, realistically, is for Cameron Carr and Adou Thiero to force JJ Redick's hand and put them in the rotation by outplaying some of the other options. It's certainly possible, based on what we saw in the summer from Thiero and the skill set he brings to the team, and then the scoring/shooting capabilities of Carr that were on display as well.
Could either of them be good enough to find regular playing time even if the rotation doesn't expand? Certainly possible, if not at the start of the year by the end of it.
There's another question at play, too. The Lakers have to balance the need to win games -- this is not a rebuilding team with an eye towards the future, even with an awareness that more work needs to be done to build a true title contender -- with the need to develop Thiero and Carr. Some of that can happen in the G-League, but not all of it. Redick is going to need to give both guys meaningful opportunities to play and improve on an NBA court. That means putting up with mistakes, but even more than that, helping play those guys in ways that play to strengths and help hide weaknesses, with very specific instructions on what's expected in each shift.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

PHOTO CREDIT: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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The Lakers have a significantly different roster this season than last. That everyone knows.
How it'll get used is an open question.
Plenty of people think the team has a little more usable depth this season, especially if players like Cam Carr and Adou Thiero prove to be capable of handling minutes. The Lakers want to figure out how to use defensive oriented players like Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams. They need to get offensive spark plug Collin Sexton real minutes. Jake LaRavia played all 82 last year, and in the first half of them at least was productive.
And on Thursday at practice, even Kevon Looney, generally seen as a guy not slated for much PT, was being talked up pretty significantly.
Now, not everyone is going to play to the top of his potential. Not everyone is going to stay healthy. But for the time being, at least, Redick has the full menu available to him, and has to figure out how to use it. There have been a few teams in the last couple years who have tried to expand their rotation beyond the standard 9-10, pushing 11 and even 12 guys playing night to night. That can get complicated, but has some upside. Will Redick try that? Or will it be something where it's 10 (generally) on a nightly basis, but some of the names change?
The players could make this decision easier, or they could make it a lot harder. Redick is surely rooting for the latter.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: What kind of rotation will Redick run with?

SEGMENT 2: Is Looney really gonna play?

SEGMENT 3: New PA announcer, new front office name.

PHOTO CREDIT: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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At Wednesday's practice, JJ Redick got a little reflective, looking back on his early days as Lakers head coach. He noted that while the confidence he could do the job was always there, at times it felt like cosplay. Not surprising, really, given that it was his first head coaching gig at any level beyond grade school coaching his kids.
That feeling, and an intense desire to try to control EVERYTHING going on around him is likely why Redick was, to say the least, a little tightly wound in that first season.
But last season saw a bit of a mellowing with Redick, and now entering his third year in LA (with two 50-win seasons behind him), Redick definitely feels more calm and at ease. That should, at least in theory, help him be a better coach. And it's a big year for Redick, who finally has a rim protector on defense and a roster he feels makes much more sense as a whole than anything he's had here before. So what will he do with it? How will the offense change? Will he find floor combos that maximize the team's potential, and of his role guys?
Plenty to look forward to.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

PHOTO CREDIT: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

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It's early, less than a week in. But listen to JJ Redick and the rest of the Lakers, and it's clear they're working hard to forge a real identify on both sides of the ball.
Defensively, Redick has already talked about how the days of 1-5 switching are over with the arrival of Walker Kessler. It's going to look more like 1-4, but even then with some caveats. And just that change will make the Lakers look a lot different defensively. Add to that the constant talk of disruption and deflections and intensity, and you start to see what the vision is on defense.
Offensively, Austin Reaves said Wednesday that the Lakers are looking to use fewer ball screens, which makes sense given that their two primary weapons function well, if not better, without them. Reaves described a more "free flowing" offense, and Redick noted how they want to expand the playbook a little in their early offense beyond what they did last year.
Put it all together, and it feels like the Lakers want to take advantage of a roster that a) will be together (in theory) for a bit, and b) has a skill set they believe is more coherent.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: JJ is building out an identity, early.

SEGMENT 2: Early plans for the offense and defense.

SEGMENT 3: Why the Lakers can build it out a little faster.

PHOTO SEGMENT: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

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JJ Redick has some decisions to make, not just with the starting lineup -- while he says that only three of the five spots are settled (if we have to tell you which ones, you're probably at the wrong podcast), most people believe that Quentin Grimes is also very likely to start. So that leaves a fifth guy. Will it be Sandro Mamukelashvili? Ziaire Williams? Jake LaRavia? Matisse Thybulle, for that defensive presence? What about a wild card like Adou Thiero?
The decision Redick makes there will obviously have a ripple effect on the rest of the rotation. So he's likely thinking about which player combinations work best over the course of 48 minutes, not just who might be the "best" player available to him to fill that spot.
The good news for JJ is that the Lakers don't really have to worry about the politics that might go into the decision. None of the players he's choosing from are likely to rock the boat if they don't "win" the competition for the fifth starter?
According to our Locked On Lakers summer survey, fans are leaning now towards Williams, thanks to his defensive range and athleticism, and a degree of versatility despite a pretty thin frame.
Williams is also one of the role players fans are most excited to see, part of a group that should give Redick a chance to deploy players with a little more cohesion in skill sets. Whether you believe the parts are better this year than last, there's definitely an argument to be made that they fit together in ways that make more sense.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

PHOTO CREDIT: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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